New England Patriots Owner And Billionaire Robert Kraft Charged With Soliciting Prostitution

February 22, 2019 1:25pm: This article has been updated in light of further information provided by law enforcement officials.

New England Patriots owner and billionaire Robert Kraft was charged on Friday with two counts of soliciting prostitution, according to law enforcement officials in Jupiter, Florida.

The charges come in connection with a months-long investigation into multiple massage parlor locations in Jupiter, Florida. Officials said on Friday that Kraft has been charged with soliciting another person to commit prostitution. Kraft, who so far is facing two counts of solicitation, is one of the 25 men charged with the same crime, the officials added. There is video evidence of the offenses, according to Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr.

"We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further,” a spokesperson for Kraft told Forbes on Friday.

Kraft was able to buy the New England Patriots in 1994 thanks to his lucrative paper-manufacturing businesses, including companies such as Rand-Whitney and International Forest Products. The Boston businessman bought the struggling team for $172 million, the highest price paid for any team in the world at the time. The New England team is now worth $3.8 billion, the second most valuable football team (behind the Dallas Cowboys)—and more importantly to fans, one that has five Super Bowl wins in 16 years.

In an interview with Forbes in 2015, Kraft shared that he and his late wife of 48 years disagreed once in their lives and that was because she was opposed to Kraft pouring millions into the team. Mrs. Kraft, who preferred to solve crossword puzzles on Sundays, quickly became a Patriots fan, however, Kraft told Forbes.

Myra Kraft died of ovarian cancer in 2011, and according to the Pats-owner, “that was the most difficult thing that happened” to him. Kraft has reportedly been dating a 39-year-old model off and on since then. The billionaire owns a condo in Palm Beach, and Forbes estimates his net worth at $6.6 billion.